


not now

by avapacifica



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Apologies, Blushing, Chance Meetings, Europe, Field Trip, Flashbacks, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Garfield's spiderman, Guilt, Holding Hands, Light Angst, London, M/M, Regret, Reunions, Travel, they're both 16
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-05 14:41:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18830734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avapacifica/pseuds/avapacifica
Summary: London is big. Peter didn't really think he'd run into his old friend.





	not now

Of course the thought crosses his mind on the plane. Harry Osborn is in London. He’s going to London. And while Peter knows the chances of running into his old friend aren’t even slim to none, they’re nonexistent, the thought still lingers in his mind throughout his school trip. 

He wouldn’t even know what to do if he ran into him. Hell, he hasn’t seen him in five years, they haven’t talked in at least four. Even so, every night before he goes to bed on the less than comfortable hotel pillow, his mind strays to the fact that Harry is no longer an ocean away, but only a couple hundred miles at most. 

Harry hasn’t spared him a thought in years, he’d put money on it. And if Peter is being honest with himself, Harry hasn’t crossed his mind for a good while. But something about being close to him again, and yet not close at all, brings old feelings back to his chest. Dumb preteen feelings that he thought he had closed himself off from the day Harry left. 

Memories flash back to earlier years. Exchanging homework answers in Peter’s room mere inches apart, and then one day the inches weren’t there. Hiding from Uncle Ben in Harry’s closet when he came to pick Peter up, their faces adjacent, feeling each other’s staggered breaths. They had hoped he would leave so they could hang out longer. They were only eleven, and yet the memories are there, ever-present. 

All throughout the days of his trip, he would seek him out. Whether they were in a museum, a touristy shop, or even a restaurant, Peter’s eyes would subconsciously search the room for the familiar shade of chestnut hair. He knew he wouldn’t be at any of the places, but his eyes still wandered. When he catches himself doing it, he cringes. When his friends finally notice something is up, he’s embarrassed even more. 

He never thought Harry would be the one to find him.

His teacher had gave them 2 hours of free time. His friends had wanted to go on the London Eye, but seeing the long line Peter had decided against it, splitting off from the group. He lets his feet guide him down to a river. He doesn’t see the name of it anywhere, and will later regret not catching it. But right now he doesn’t give it a second thought. 

What are the chances that Peter decides to sit on a bench right outside of a pub? What are the chances that Harry is in that pub? What are the chances that Harry takes a break for air only a few minutes later? Slim, I’d guess.

Thankfully only on his second drink, barely buzzed, Harry can still see clearly. But when he sees the familiar outline of an old friend sitting right in front of him, he figures his roommates  _ must  _ have slipped him something. Peter Parker can’t be here? He’s in New York, like he always is. If there is a chance it’s Peter though, he ought to take it. He learned a while ago what happens if you don’t act and only think. 

“Peter?” The boy in question turns around and  _ holy crap it is him.  _

“Harry? Oh my god!” He springs from his seat, eyes shining. Peter is running on shock, so he’s at least able to approach the other. Harry on the other hand can barely move. When Peter comes up to him and takes him in a hug he shivers, barely able to lift his arms to wrap them around his friend. Peter can feel something is wrong though, he glances to the bar. Thinking that’s the cause, he leads Harry to his bench.

“Are you alright man?” Harry nods, so Peter removes the steady grip he had on his shoulders. He puts his hands on his lap, not sure what to do with them. Without thinking, Harry places his palm on top of Peter’s. 

Peter looks up from his thumbs at Harry, gosh did he miss those eyes.

“You’re really here.” It’s all he can manage to say, that simple statement. But it’s also all his mind can fathom. Once Harry is sure that he’s really not hallucinating, he jerks his hand back, embarrassed. The silent eye contact gets too awkward and both pairs of eyes turn to the river.  

“I’m sorry I freaked out.” Harry apologizes. “I’m just surprised is all.”

“No, I get it. I am too.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” He regrets it as soon as the words leave his mouth. Why would Peter want to call him? They haven’t talked in years. Even still, he would’ve liked to reconnected on a more planned level. What Peter says surprises him though.

“I thought you wouldn’t want to see me.”

Harry turns to Peter, his head tilted, giving off the impression of a confused puppy.

“All I mean is, we haven’t talked in a while. I thought you wouldn’t even want to meet up. I don’t know..” He trails off as a blush creeps onto his face. The sentence isn’t leading anywhere and he doesn’t know where to take it. His hands grip the front of the bench as his knuckles turn white. 

Harry sighs as the guilt runs through his veins. He feels terrible. All he can think to do is trace circles over Peter’s hand and convince him that none of it was his fault. 

So he does.

“This is on me Pete, it was nothing you did.” Peter’s blush only deepens. “I liked you a lot. Back then I mean. I made it easier for myself by not picking up your calls. It was selfish and I’m sorry.”

Peter loosens his fingers from around the wood, waiting a few moments before answering. 

“You liked me?”

“Yeah.” Harry chuckles, embarrassed that the conversation is taking this turn, but also thankful it’s not taking the route that would make the guilt churning in his stomach a hundred times worse. He’s willing to apologize so many times, he wants to even. But not now. Not now as Peter is nuzzling his cheek into his shoulder and whispering into it that he liked him too. Not now when the boy that he was forced to leave all those years ago is calm and content, watching the water flow  _ right next to him. _

Not now.

**Author's Note:**

> I realized halfway through writing the dialogue that this is basically a situation I'm in now, but with a happy ending. Love that for me. But I hope you enjoyed, kudos and comments are appreciated!


End file.
